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Seven Speed Manual

BMW has invited itself to a party that Porsche started. Someone trolling trawling through patent filings found drawings submitted by BMW for two slightly different takes on a seven-speed manual transmission. The first take is a more conventional setup that provides an honest clutch pedal. The second variant uses a shift-by-wire system to swap gears through an electromechanical actuator. To prevent drivers from accidentally engaging an engine-damaging gear in such a closely spaced pattern, both r

Perhaps the manual transmission isn't as dead as a few Italian automakers would like you to believe. Porsche has declared that as long as there is demand it will continue to supply automobiles with do-it-yourself gearboxes, and the German automaker has outfitted its 2012 911 with a seven-speed manual gearbox. Now it seems General Motors is following suit, and the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette will reportedly offer up seven forward gears, as well.

There were a whole lot of hidden Easter eggs in the official next-generation 911 teaser video that Porsche released this week. Despite the fabric camouflage, we could clearly see a new Panamera-inspired center console, the 991 generation's longer dimensions and a flat-six engine that's been moved even closer to the center of the car. One thing we didn't catch the first time around, though, is what may just be hard evidence of the fabled seven-speed manual transmission.